Extractor for automatic firearms



Patented May 5, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE E. TAN SLEY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIG NOR TO OOLTS PATENT ARMS MANUFACTURING- CO., OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT EXTRACTOR FOR AUTOMATIC FIREARMS Application filed December 12,1929. Serial No. 413,611.

The present invention is particularly applicable'to a machine gun constructed in the main as shown and described in Patent No. 1,293,021 issued February 4, 1919 to John M.

' Browning, but it will be understood that the invention is not necessarily so limited.

With a machine un of this general class it is sometimes desiralile to provide a reversible feed mechanism which is adapted to feed a cartridge belt from left to right or from, right to left. When such a reversible feed mechanism is provided it is necessary to provide for the reversal of a part of the extractor device, and the principal object of the present invention is to provide a simple and reliable construction which makes it possible for such reversal to be conveniently effected.

In the accompanying drawing I have shown the embodiment of the invention which I now deem preferable, but it will be under- "c or being omitted.

K ing the parts in different relative positions.-

1g, 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical sectional view.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but show- Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are right side, bottom an front views respectively of the extractor, Fig. g beiz'g partly in section along line 6-6 of Figs. 7 and 8 are front and left side views respectively of the retaining and ejecting element carried by the extractor.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the pivot pin on which the retaining and ejecting element is mounted.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged transverse sectional;

view similar to Fig. 6 but showing the retaining and ejecting element and other parts in their proper relative positions. j

Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 10 but showing the retaining and ejecting element 10. 1 The machine gun as shown in the drawing is adapted to en right to and. associated parts in positions relatively reversed with respect to those shown in 'Flg. v

comprises a breech casing 1 which contains the breech mechanism, this casing being rectangular in form and having two opposite side plates 2, 2 and a cover 3 pivoted at the front and movable upward to expose the interior mechanism.

Projecting from the casing at the front is a barrel 4 which upon recoil is movable rearward to a limited extent. Formed in the barrel at the rear thereof is a suitable firing chamber 4* adapted to receive a cartridge. Connected with the barrel at the rear end thereof and bodily movable therewith is a barrel extension 5. Mounted on the barrel extension for longitudinal movement independently thereof is a breech bolt 6. A reaction spring 7 is provided which resists rearward recoil movement of the breech bolt and which tends tb immediately return the breech bolt inthe forward direction after recoil.

Mounted in the breech bolt 6 for longitudinal movement relatively thereto is a firing pin 8 which is adapted to be moved to cocked position during recoil by means of a cooking lever 9. The firing pin is held in cocked posi-' tion bymeans of a suitable sear which is moved at the proper time to release the pin and effect firing.

Extending transversely through the gun near the front thereof is a feed channel 10 (1 into which a cartridge belt may be fed either from the left or from the right. Mounted in a downward extension of the cover 3 immediately above the feed channel is a feed slide 11' which is adapted to move transversely. This slide carries a pawl 12 which age the forward cartridge of the cartridge elt to move it into firing position. The slide 11 with the pawl 12 thereon is bodily reversible so as to be adapted to feed the belt from left to right or from left as may be preferred. For operating the slide 11 there is provided a feed lever 13 which is pivotally mounted on a stud H projecting downward from the cover. 3. The slide 11 is provided with oppositely disposed notches and the forward end of the lever 13 projects into one or the other of these notches accordingto the position of the slide. 'At the rear end of the lever 13 there is provided a depending stud which extends into a cam groove formed in the upper surface of the breech bolt 6. It will be obvious that when the breech bolt moves rearward the lever 15 will be moved in the counter-clockwise direction, thus moving the slide toward the left. When the breech bolt again moves forward the lever 13 is rotated in the clockwise direction,'thus movin the slide 11 and the pawl 12 toward the right and advancing the forward cartridge ofthe belt to a central position.

When it is desired to effect feeding from right-to left instead of from left to right, the feed slide 11 and the pawl 12 are reversed in position and provision is made for moving the lever 13 in directions opposite to those before described. This reversal of movement of the lever may be effected by substituting a different breech bolt similar to the breech bolt 6 but having a cam groove 15' therein reversed in position from the cam groove 15, as shown by dot-and-dash lines in ig. 1. With the substitute breech bolt in place the action of the feeding mechanism is exactly the same as before except for the reversal of the directions of movement. The slide 11 is initially moved from left to right so that upon the return movement the cartridge will be fed from right to left.

Pivotally mounted on the breech bolt, as for instance at the left side thereof, is an extractor 16, this extractor being provided with a pivot stud 17 which extends into a suitable transverse hole in the breech bolt. Formed at'the front of the extractor is a transversely extending head 18 having a tooth 18 extending downward and adapted to be entered in the annular groove at the rear of the cartridge as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The extractor serves through the agency of the tooth 18 to withdraw the cartridge from the belt and carry it rearward when the breech bolt moves rearward upon recoil. 1

Carried by thecover 3 is a cam spring 19 which engages a surface 18 on the upper part of the head 18 as the extractor moves rearward. The cover 3 is also provided with a cam rib 19 which engages a surface 18 on the upper part of the head 18. These cams 19 and 19 serve to positively move the extractor downward about its pivotal axis, thus carrying the cartridge downward into a vertical groove 6 formed in the front end of the breech bolt. Carried by the head 18 at the left side thereof is a spring pressed plunger 20 adapted to cooperate with a cam plate 21 at the left side of the casing. As the extractor moves rearward the plunger 20 is forced inward by a beveled surface 21 downward direction as the breech bolt moves on the plate 21. When the extractor reaches its rearmost' position the plunger 20 returns to its projecting position. When in its rearmostposition the extractor may have been moved by inertia and by gravity to its lowermost position as shown in Fig. 3, but if it has not reached the position shown the plunger 20 engages the cam surface 21 on the plate 21 to additionally move the extractor in the forward. The'- extractor is thus moved down ward far enough to bring the cartridge into alignment with the firing chamber 4 in the rear end of the barrel and the cartridge is moved into this firing chamber by the breech bolt as it moves iforward. There is also provided at the left side of the casing a cam plate 22, and a cam surface 22 on this plate engages the plunger 20 to move the extractor upward to its initial position during the latter part of the forward movement. Thus the extractor is returned to the position shown in Fig. 2 where it can engage another cartridge, which in the meantime has been movedby the feeding mechanism into proper position. I

In order that the cartridge may be retained in proper relationship with the extractor during the rearward and downward movements thereof as described, it is necessary to provide a retaining element which partly surrounds the cartridge and which cooperates with the slot 6 in the front end of the breech bolt to prevent the cartridge from moving by gravity away from the extractor. This retaining element is indicated in the drawings at 23 and it will be understood that this element must be located at the side of the extractor 16 corresponding to the direction of feed, that is, ifthe feed is from left to right, the retaining element must be at the right and if the direction of feed. is from right to left, the retaining element must be at the left. In accordance with the present invention I provide a single means whereby the retaining ele- 110 ment 23 may be conveniently mounted on the extractor 16 so that its effective portion is at the'right or at the left of'the cartridge as required by the direction of feed.

The head 18 is provided with a transverse 1 slot 24 therein which is open at the bottom. This slot is in front of the tooth 18 and is adapted to receive the upper transverse portion of the -retaining element 23. A pivot pin 25 extends longitudinally through regis- 120 tering holes in the extractor head 18 and through a corresponding hole in the retaining element. In this way the said retaining element is mounted for limited pivotal movement with respect to the extractor. A 125 spring 26 seated in a recess 27 in the extractor head serves to bias the retaining element for movement in the inward direction, that is.,to the direction to more firmly engage the cartridge. From an inspection of Fig. 10 130 it will be apparent that the retaining element 23 serves to engage the cartridge so as'to hold it in the groove 6 in proper relationship to the tooth 18 of the 'extractor. Without the retaining element 23the cartridge would drop and could not therefore, be controlled by the extractor.

The element 23 not only serves to hold the cartridge in properrelationship to the extractor as described but it also serves as an ejector to engage the next preceding cartridge andto positively eject it downward from the slot 6. The empty shell may fall out by gravitybut if it fails to thus fall out it will positively be ejected by the element 23 approximately when the breech bolt is in its rearmost position. In order to avoid any possible jamming of the empty shell, the forward end of the breech bolt is beveled at 6', this beveled surface not only preventing j amming but also assisting in the downward eject-ion of the cartridge shell.

As already stated the element 23 must be at the side of the cartridge corresponding to the direction of feetl, and when the cartridge may be fed in either direction it is necessary to provide for the reversal of the element 23. It will be apparent that with the construction described the element 23 may be removed by removing the pin 25. At the same time the spring 26 may be removed. The

parts are then assembled in reversed positions as shown in Fig. 11, the pin 25 entering the same holes-asbefore and the spring 26 enter- ;Ingda hole 27 at the left side of the ejector Preferably for holding the pin 25 in place there is provided a small spring 28 which lies in a groove 29 in the retaining element and which enters a notch 25 in the pin 25. This spring 28 is held in place by means of the spring 26 as clearly shown in Figs. 10 and 11.

What I claim is:

1. In an automatic firearm, the combination of a barrel having a firin chamber adapted to receive a cartridge, a reech bolt longitudinally reciprocable upon recoil, mechanism adapted to feed a cartridge belt from left to right or from right to left, an extractor pivoted to the breech bolt and adapted :to engage the foremost cartridge of the belt to withdraw it as the breech bolt and extractor move rearward upon recoil, means operative during recoil for moving the extractor about its pivotal axis to transfer the said cartridge downward to aposition in alignment with the firing chamber of the barrel, a downward extending element on the extractor serving to retain the said cartridge with the extractor, the said pivot means (permitting the said element to be mounte in either of two relatively reversed positions with the effective portion thereof at'the rlght or at the left, of the cartridge as required by the direction of feed.

, 2. A combination as set forth in claim 1, wherein there is a single spring for biasing the said reversible element for movement in one direction or the other as required.

3. A combination as set forth in claim 1, wherein there is a single spring for biasing the said reversible element for movement in one direction or the other as required, and wherein the sprin is adapted to be located at either side of t e pivot means in accordance with the position of the retaining and ejecting element.

4.-A combination as set forth in claim 1, wherein there is a single spring for biasing the said reversible element for movement in one direction or the other as required, wherein there is a longitudinal pivot pin having a transverse groove therein, and wherein there and in proper relation to the extractor and also adapted to effect the preceding cartridge, a single longitudinal pivot means near the center of the extractor for ivotally connecting the said retaining and ejecting element CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 1,803,352. I 1 Granted May 5, 1931, to

GEORGE n. TANsfLEn- It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction asfollows: Page 3, line 61, claim 1, strike out the word "and"; line 62, for "effect read eject, and line 63, before the article "a" insert the word and; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office. v Signed and sealed this 7th day of JulyfA. D. 1931-.

- l M. J. Moore, 7 (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

